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Edwin C. Kan, Assoc. Professor

Class taught in Spring 2009: ECE 3150 Introduction to Microelectronics (class notes are on Cornell blackboard web sites)

Class taught in Fall 2008: ECE 3060 Quantum and Statistical Mechanics

Class taught in Spring 2008: ECE 4570 Silicon Electronics

Class taught in Fall 2007: ECE 3150 Introduction to Microelectronics

Class taught in Spring 2007: ECE 457 Silicon Electronics

Class taught in Fall 2006: ECE 315 Introduction to Microelectronics

Class taught in Spring 2004: ECE 336 Nanofabrication

CURIE Summer 2003 (High-School Summer Camp): Micro-robots for Cancer Detection

Class taught in Spring 2003: ECE 432 Introduction to MEMS

Class co-taught in Fall 2000: CHEM E/ELE E 596 System on a Chip

Class taught in Spring 2000: ELE E 438 VLSI Digital System Design

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(If you are a university professor or high school science teachers in US and hope to get editable files for the above courses, please write me an email. Class notes, slides, homework, lab handouts, and computer lab tutorials can be made available.)

Research Group Guidelines for Potential Graduate Students

Research Group Guidelines for Present Graduate Students

Recent Research Breakthroughs:

1.      Can we have a Flash memory card with capacity larger than 1Tb? See how the gate stack and voltage scaling difficulty can be overcome with 1020 retention/write time ratio!!  (See publications 1-13 below)

2.      You have heard about carbon nanotubes and the fullerene family.  In addition to scientific interest, do they have fundamental advantage and be effectively used in CMOS VLSI?  Here is our proposal!! (See publications 14-18 below)

3.      How can your CMOS be able to talk to the chemicals and molecules in the fluidic world (or biological world if you want to be “modern”) reliably?  Look how we use a mimic way!! (See publication 19-26 below)

4.      The dynamic power consumption for VLSI interconnect is the well known CV2f.  The OFF leakage current can not be suppressed without a high Vth. Can we do totally differently but still electronically?  We need to change the binary representation on chip!!! See our proposal in pulse-wave interconnect!! For high-frequency ICs, we need to have detailed control on the distributed magnetic fields.  See how we use ferromagnetic materials and nonlinear transmission lines to achieve the mission impossible!! (See publication 27-33 below)

5.      With a common ground, a transistor needs a minimal of 3 terminals to separate input and output.  We have designed VLSI this way for the last 50 years?  How much can a genuine 4-terminal transistor buy you?  See our investigation in independently driven double gate circuits.  All new, all interesting. (See publication 34-36 below).

6.      You may have heard about the use of THz signal (wavelength from 20 to 200 microns) can create magic and join the microwave and infrared.  It is promising to use as noninvasive X-rays for complex biomolecules.  Can this be done in Si/SiGe? (See publication 37 below).

7.      There is a long search on a partial-differential-equation based model to describe the nonlocal quantum mechanics.  Wigner proposed an approach in the ‘30s, but realistic formulation is never there.  See our proposal for genuine 3D quantum transport models that start from the large-potential variations. (See publication 38-41 below).

Research Interest:

The overall research goal for Kan’s group is on Si-based integrated systems with a technology emphasis.  Multi-scale (nm to cm), multi-function (computing, control, sensing, actuation, power, and communication), mixed-technology (CMOS, MEMS, etc.), and mixed-signal (digital, analog, RF, microwave, optical, etc.) systems are investigated to get the engineering applications done.

  1. Nanoscale CMOS systems: Si-based device (logic and memory) and interconnect scaling to the 10nm and 20GHz technology. New structures and materials for devices and interconnect.  New circuits (low-VDD, low-power and nonlinear transmission lines) to support further scaling.  Scaling of nonvolatile memories to below 1,000nm2 bit area and ±4V P/E operations.
  2. Molecular interface and universal sensor pixels by CMOS: integrated chemical and molecular sensors and actuators based on charge-controlled surface electrochemistry by CMOS.  Functional sensing-gate coatings for ion, flow, light, stress, magenetic field and temperature sensors.
  3. Novel MEMS applications for autonomous systems: co-location of compute, control, communication, sense, actuation and power by monolithic integration on CMOS nonvolatile memory technology platforms.
  4. Technology CAD and intelligence abstraction for VLSI design: device, process and equipment simulation, SPICE compact models, numerical methods and software engineering. Construction of model hierarchy for better analysis and synthesis of the complex design. Technology integration ranging from HDL to partial-differential-equation descriptions.
  5. Si, Ge and C based nanostructure integration: parameter extraction of integrated nanotube devices, high frequency characterization and pi-electron transport.

Selected Publication

  1. V. Narayanan, Z. Liu, Y. N. Shen, M. Kim and E. C. Kan, "Reduction of metal-semiconductor contact resistance by embedded nanocrystals", Intl. Electron Device Meeting (IEDM) Tech Dig., Dec. 4-6, 2000, San Francisco, CA, p. 365.
  2. Z. Liu, C. Lee, V. Narayanan, G. Pei and E. C. Kan, "Metal nanocrystal memories, part I: device design and fabrication," IEEE Trans. Electron Devices, vol. 49, no. 9, pp.1606-1613, Sept. 2002.
  3. Z. Liu, C. Lee, V. Narayanan, G. Pei and E. C. Kan, “A novel quad source/drain metal nanocrystal memory device for multi-bit-per-cell storage”, IEEE Electron Device Letters, vol. 24, no. 5, pp. 345-347, May 2003.
  4. C. Lee, A. Gorur-Seetharam and E. C. Kan, “Operational and reliability comparison of discrete-storage nonvolatile memories: advantages of single- and double-layer metal nanocrystals”, IEDM, Washington, DC, Dec. 8-10, 2003.
  5. C. Lee, J. A. Meteer, V. Narayanan and E. C. Kan, “Process characterization of metal nanocrystal self assembly on ultra-thin oxide for nonvolatile memory applications”, J. Semiconductor Materials, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 1-11, Jan. 2005.
  6. C. Lee, U. Ganguly, V. Narayanan, T. Hou, J. Kim and E. C. Kan, “Asymmetric electric field enhancement in nanocrystal memories”, IEEE Elec. Dev. Lett., vol. 26, no. 12, pp. 879-881, Dec. 2005.
  7. C. Lee, T. Hou and E. C. Kan, “Nonvolatile memory with a metal nanocrystal/nitride heterogeneous floating gate”, IEEE Trans. Elec. Dev., vol. 52, no. 12, pp. 2697-2702, Dec. 2005.
  8. T.-H. Hou, C. Lee, V. Narayanan, U. Ganguly, and E. C. Kan, “Design optimization of metal nanocrystal memory - Part II: gate stack engineering”, IEEE Trans. Elec. Dev., vol. 53, no. 12, pp. 3103-3109, Dec. 2006.
  9. T.-H. Hou, U. Ganguly, and E. C. Kan, “Fermi-level pinning in nanocrystal memories”, IEEE Elec. Dev. Lett., vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 103-106, Feb. 2007.
  10. T.-H. Hou, U. Ganguly, and E. C. Kan, “Programmable molecular orbital states of C60 from integrated circuits”, Appl. Phys. Lett., vol.  89, article 253113, Dec. 2006.
  11. T.-H. Hou, H. Raza, K. Afshari, D. J. Ruebusch and E. C. Kan, “Nonvolatile memory with molecule-engineered tunneling barriers”, Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 92, 153109, April 2008.  (Featured in IEEE Spectrum June 2008, p. 20 and Nature News April 2008).
  12. J. Lee, S. C. Barron, R. B. van Dover, E. K. Amponsah, T. H. Hou, H. Raza and E. C. Kan, “Planar polysilicon TFT low-voltage flash memory cell with Al2O3 tunnel dielectric and (Ti,Dy)O control dielectric”, 66th Device Research Conference (DRC), Santa Barbara, CA, June 2008.
  13. J. Lee, J. J. Cha, S. C. Barron, D. A. Muller, R. B. van Dover, E. K. Amponsah, T.-H. Hou, H. Raza, and E. C. Kan, “Material and electrical characterization of stackable planar polysilicon TFT flash memory cell with metal nanocrystals and high-k dielectrics”, 34th IEEE Intl. SOI Conf., Hudson River Valley, NY, Oct. 6-9, 2008.
  14. U. Ganguly, C. Lee and E. C. Kan, “Experimental observation of non-volatile charge injection and molecular redox in fullerenes C60 and C70 in an EEPROM type device”, Material Research Symposium (MRS), Boston, MA, Nov. 29 – Dec. 3, 2004 (Outstanding Paper Trophy Award).
  15. U. Ganguly, E. C. Kan and Y. Zhang, “Carbon nanotube based non-volatile memory with charge storage in metal nanocrystals”, Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 87, p. 043108, 2005.
  16. J. Guo, E. C. Kan, U. Ganguly and Y. Zhang, “High sensitivity and nonlinearity of carbon nanotube-based charge sensors”, J. Appl. Phys, May 2006.
  17. U. Ganguly, R. Sreenivasan, P. McIntyre and E. C. Kan, “Retention characteristics for nonvolatile memory based on metal nanocrystals and carbon nanotube FET with CVD SiO2 and ALD HfO2 tunneling dielectrics”, Material Research Symposium (MRS), Boston, MA, Nov. 28 – Dec. 2, 2005.
  18. U. Ganguly, C. Lee, T. Hou and E. C. Kan, “Asymmetric electric field enhancement in nanocrystal based nanotube/nanowire memories”, IEEE Trans. Nanotechnology, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 22-28, Jan. 2007.
  19. Z. Liu, M. Kim, N. Shen and E. C. Kan, "Novel electrostatic repulsion forces in MEMS applications by nonvolatile charge injection, " The 15th IEEE Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), Las Vegas, NV, Jan. 22-24, 2002.
  20. M. Kim, C. Lee and E. C. Kan, “A new technique for contact mechanics and friction in microstructures: controllable electrostatic repulsive forces from capacitive coupling to electret”, World Tribology Congress III, Washington, D.C., Sept. 12-16, 2005.
  21. Y. N. Shen, Z. Liu, C. Lee, B. A. Minch and E. C. Kan, “Charge-based chemical sensors: a neuromorphic approach by the chemoreceptive neuron MOS transistors (CnMOS)”, IEEE Trans. Electron Devices, vol. 50, no. 10,  pp. 2171-2178, Oct 2003.
  22. Y. N. Shen, Z. Liu, S. Peng, B. A. Minch, and Edwin C. Kan, “Polymer surface electrochemistry for charge-based sensing in chemoreceptive neuron MOS transistors (CnMOS)”, Proc. Second IEEE International Conference on Sensors, vol. 2, Toronto, Canada, Oct. 22-24, 2003, pp. 914-919.
  23. Y. N. Shen, Z. Liu, B. C. Jacquot, B. A. Minch, and E. C. Kan, “Integration of chemical sensing and electrowetting actuation on chemoreceptive neuron MOS transistors (CnMOS)”, Sensors and Actuators B., vol. 102, no. 1, pp. 35-43, Sept. 2004.
  24. B. C. Jacquot, C. Lee, Y. N. Shen and E. C. Kan, “Time-resolved ion and molecule transport sensing with microfluidic integration”, IEEE Sensors Journal, vol. 7, no. 10, pp. 1429-1434, Oct. 2007.
  25. B. C. Jacquot, N. L. Muñoz, D. W. Branch and E. C. Kan, “Non-faradic electrochemical detection of protein interactions by integrated neuromorphic CMOS sensors”, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, vol. 23, no. 10, April, 2008.
  26. B. C. Jacquot, N. L. Muñoz, and E. C. Kan, “Electrolyte pulse current measurements by CnMOS with microsecond and thermal voltage resolution”, 28th Intl. Conf. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Aug. 30 -  Sept. 3, 2006, New York, New York.
  27. P. Wang, N. Tien and E. C. Kan, “Permalloy loaded transmission line for high-speed interconnects”, IEEE Trans. Electron Devices, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 74-82, Jan. 2004.
  28. P. Wang, G. Pei and E. C. Kan, “Pulsed wave interconnect”, IEEE Trans. VLSI Systems, vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 453-463, May 2004.
  29. J. Kim, W. Ni, C. Lee and E. C. Kan, “A novel global interconnect method using nonlinear transmission lines”, IEEE Custom Integrated Circuits Conference (CICC), San Jose, CA, September 18 - 21, 2005.
  30. J. Kim, W. Ni and E. C. Kan, “Magnetic property characterization of magnetite (Fe3O4) nanorod cores for integrated solenoid RF inductors”, 50th MMM (Magnetism and Magnetic Materials) Conference, San Jose, CA, Oct. 30 – Nov. 3, 2005.
  31. W. Ni, J. Kim and E. C. Kan, “Permalloy patterning effects on RF inductors”, International Magnetic Conference (Intermag), San Diego, CA, May 8-12, 2006.
  32. J. Kim, W. Ni, and E. C. Kan, “Crosstalk reduction with nonlinear transmission lines for high-speed VLSI system”, IEEE Custom Integrated Circuits Conference (CICC), San Jose, CA, September 11-13, 2006, Paper No. 29.6.
  33. K. G. Lyon and E. C. Kan, “Microwave pulse generation using the Bragg cutoff of a nonlinear transmission line”, Intl. Microwave Symp. (IMS), Atlanta, GA, June 2008.
  34. G. Pei, J. Kedzierski, P. Oldiges, M. Ieong and E. C. Kan, “FinFET design considerations based on 3-D simulation and analytical modeling”, IEEE Trans. Electron Devices, vol. 49, no. 8, pp. 1411-1419, Aug. 2002.
  35. G. Pei and E. C. Kan, “A physical compact model of DGMOSFET for mixed-signal circuit applications, Part II: parameter extraction”, IEEE Trans. Electron Devices, vol. 50, no. 10,  pp. 2144-2153, Oct. 2003.
  36. G. Pei and E. C. Kan, “Independently driven DG MOSFET for mixed-signal circuits, part II: applications on cross-coupled feedback and harmonic generation”, IEEE Trans. Electron Devices, vol. 51, no. 12, pp. 2094-2101, Dec. 2004.
  37. J. A. Meteer, S. S. Eikenberry, J. E. Huffman, and E. C. Kan, “A low-temperature Si/SiGe impact diode for improved infrared sensing”, 62nd Device Research Conference (DRC), June 2004, Norte Dame, IN.
  38. V. Narayanan and E. C. Kan, “A Madelung fluid based density gradient model for large barrier tunneling calculations”, Intl. Conf. Simulation of Semiconductor Processes and Devices (SISPAD), September 6-8, 2006, Monterey, CA.
  39. H. Raza and E. C. Kan, “An atomistic quantum transport solver with dephasing for field-effect transistors”, J. Comp. Elec., 2008, arXiv:0802.2357.
  40. H. Raza and E. C. Kan, “Armchair graphene nanoribbons: Electronic structure and electric field modulation”, Phys. Rev. B, Condense Matter arXiv: 0803.1233.
  41. H. Raza and E. C. Kan, “Electrical transport in two dimensional electron and hole gas on Si(001)-(2x1) surface, Condense Matter arXiv: 0803.1699v1.

Selected Honors and Awards:

1.      Research highlight featured by Nature News, April 2008, IEEE Spectrum June 2008, Nanobiotech News, June 21, 2006; Technology News Daily, June 1, 2006; TechNews, vol. 24; Engineers on Line, June 9, 2006; Biology Newsnet: June 7, 2006.

2.      Robert ’55 and Vanne ’57 Cowie Excellence in Teaching Award (highest award for teaching in Cornell Engineering College), November 2003.

3.      IEEE Best Chapter Chair Award (for most member growth in local Chapter), 2002.

  1. Presidential Early-Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the White House, (highest award for scientists and engineering in their early career), USA, October 2000.
  2. Mary Tien Excellence in Teaching Award, College of Engineering, Cornell University, 1999.
  3. Graduate Teaching Award: List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students (ECE 344: IC Fabrication), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1987 and 1988.

My Life:

Edwin Chih-Chuan Kan was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Republic of China, on October 12, 1962. He received his B.S. degree from National Taiwan University in 1984, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1988 and 1992, respectively, all in electrical engineering. From 1984 to 1986, he served as a second lieutenant in Air Force, Taiwan, Republic of China. From Jan. 1992, he had been with Dawn Technologies as the principal developer of advanced electronic and optical device simulators and technology CAD framework. He had been with Stanford University as a research associate from 1993 to 1997, leading projects such as TCAD 1-2-3D tool development, software architecture definition, model hierarchy and MEMS modeling. Since July 1997, he has become an assistant professor of School of Electrical Engineering, Cornell University. He has spent the summer of 2000 and 2001 at IBM Microelectronics at Yorktown and Fishkill in the IBM Faculty Partner program. His main research areas include CMOS technology, semiconductor device physics, system-on-a-chip, composite CAD development, and numerical methods for PDE and ODE.

Organizations/Facilities:

oSchool of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University

oCornell Nanoscale Facilities (CNF)

oCornell Nanoscale Systems for Information Processing (CNS)

oCornell Center for Material Research (CCMR)

oCornell College of Engineering

oStanford TCAD Group (by the great Prof. Dutton)

oUniv. of Illinois Computational Electronics Group (by the great Profs. Hess and Ravaioli)

Research group members at Cornell (the future shining stars):

oKrishna Jayant, Ph.D student (kj75@cornell.edu)

oJaegoo Lee, Ph.D. student, (jl548@cornell.edu)

oXiaoyang Li, Ph.D student (xl99@cornell.edu)

oKeith G. Lyon, Ph.D student, (kgl9@cornell.edu)

oNini Munoz, Ph.D. Student, (nlm9@cornell.edu)

oJoshua B. Phelps, Ph.D. Student, (jbp83@cornell.edu)

oShantanu Rajwade, Ph.D student (srr77@cornell.edu)

oHassan Raza, postdoc researcher (hr89@cornell.edu)

oJonathan T. Shaw, Ph.D. student (jts57@cornell.edu)

oSarah Q. Xu, Ph.D. student (qx33@cornell.edu)

oFan Yu, Ph.D student (fy34@cornell.edu)

oother very lucky ones in the future...

 

Previous M.S./Ph.D. Group Members:

oUdayan Ganguly, Ph.D., now at NASA Ames Research (ug23@cornell.edu)

oAnirudh Gorur-Seetharam, MS, now at Spansion (ags28@cornell.edu)

oAlex Tou-Hung Hou, Ph.D student (th273@cornell.edu)

oBlake Jacquot, Ph.D., (bcj7@cornell.edu), now at JPL

oJinsook Kim , Ph.D., now at Spansion (jk368@cornell.edu)

oMyongseob Kim , Ph.D., now at Cypress Semiconductors (mk156@cornell.edu)

oChungho Lee, Ph.D., postdoc and lab manager, now at Spansion (cl266@cornell.edu)

oZengtao Liu, Ph.D., postdoc and teacher, now at Micron Technology (zl27@cornell.edu)

oJami Meteer, Ph.D., now at Intel Oregon (jam248@cornell.edu)

oVenkat Narayanan, Ph.D., now at Micron Technology (vn23@cornell.edu)

oWeiping Ni, Ph.D., now at Binoptics (wn25@cornell.edu)

oGen Pei, Ph.D., now at AMD Strategic Technology Research (gp35@cornell.edu)

oYu-min Nick Shen, Ph.D., now at TSMC (ys69@cornell.edu)

oPingshan Wang, Ph.D., now an assistant professor at Clemson Univ. (pw30@cornell.edu)

 

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Edwin C. Kan(kan@ece.cornell.edu)


404 Phillips Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
Last modified: 4/28/2008